ISLAMABAD: As the ruling Pakistan Tehreek- e -Insaf (PTI) is yet to get out of shocking defeat in its stronghold Khyber Pukhtunkhaw (KPK) in the first phase of local bodies elections , initial fact-finding report has held Governor, Shah Farman, Speaker National Assembly, Asad Qaiser and at least 11 party bigwigs and parliamentarians responsible of defeat to the party in the first phase of provincial local bodies’ elections.
The first phase of LB elections were held in KPK on December 19, 2021.
The ruly PTI had inflicted humiliating defeat in these elections. Jamiat e Ulama Islam Fazal (JUI-F) , the worst political opponent to Imran Khan’s PTI, had made major gain in these local bodies elections. Awami National Patty (ANP) , another political party that had suffered huge loss in 2018 general elections , bounced back in the provincial politics by making considerable gain in the last local bodies’ elections. Its candidates won in many districts in the province.
PTI lost even in Peshawar which it always considered as its political fort.
The initial fact- finding report submitted to prime minister, Imran Khan, suggested that PTI KPK,in particular , provincial Governor, Shah Farman, Speaker National Assembly, Asad Qaiser and provincial party office bearers and many provincial ministers like Atif Khan, Taimour Saleem Khan Jughra, Noor Alam, member National Assembly, were direct responsible of PTI defeat in the last local bodies elections.
The report also called infighting in the party and award of tickets to non- deserving candidates as a catalyst to cause defeat to PTI in the first phase of KPK local bodies elections.
Seeing major defeat to the party in KPK and level of differences within the provincial party leadership and working style of the prime minister, one can safely predict that many heads of PTI KPK will roll over in coming weeks over the issue. The prime minister has already announced to conduct a detailed inquiry to ascertain reason of defeat to the party in first phase of KPK local bodies elections.
